Motivating Through

Empowering Young Students To Practice Successfully

By Pamela D. Pike, NCTM
tudents seem to have more commitments
and fewer hours to practice each week.
However, motivation may be the real issue.
Most students will improve when working
with the teacher during the lesson. Since we
are competing with mobile technology and
stimulating video games outside of the studio, we need to
provide students with fun and creative practice tools that
both engage and promote successful learning when they are
"on their own" at an acoustic instrument during the week!
The Motivational Dilemma
The idea of motivating our students to practice successfully
is something music teachers spend considerable time
pondering. During lessons many teachers believe they
explain practice strategies well and students appear to grasp
the concept of effective practice.' Yet, many of us have had
a pupil return to the studio with a piece of music relatively
) a D. P i k e . N <
professor of piano pedagogy at
Louisiana State University. Pike
has presented in Asia, Europe and
N orth America, and has published
articles in American Music Teacher,
Clavier Companion and numerous
12
unchanged from the previous lesson. Invariably, the music
will be ready in time for the recital, festival or competition,
but we lament about how much music the student could
have learned, if only he had practiced successfijlly. Perhaps
recitals and contests, excellent extrinsic motivators, are part
of the problem. However, since most of us are unlikely to
abandon the practice of encouraging students to perform
for others we must cultivate true intrinsic motivation, which
can help the student to find time to practice regularly, to
persist when learning becomes more challenging and to play
the piano for pleasure.
Perspective On The Modern Family
If we are lucky, we work with our students for one hour
each week. However, 30- or 45-minute weekly lessons
are more typical for young and intermediate students.
This leaves 167.5 hours when our students are left to
their own devices. Thirty minutes verses 167.5 hours...no
wonder even the most gregarious student, who leaves the
studio keen to try a new practice technique, might return
with enthusiasm waning! Of course, most of those 167.5
hours will not be devoted entirely to musical practice.
Essential activities such as school, homework and family
commitments will consume a good deal of time. Music
lessons are an enrichment activity. While extra-curricular
activities are now deemed essential for college admission,'
students seem to be padding their resumes with a variety of
activities.' As a result, they frequently dabble in many areas
APRIL/MAY 2014
and do not devote much time to deliberate or purposeful
practice, which is required to learn music. It is also worth
noting that since few extra-curricular acrivities include
one-on-one instruction, students often spend more time
with a coach or a sports team each week than they do with
the music teacher. Is it possible that music lessons may be
perceived to have a lower value since students only spend 30
minutes in weekly instruction?
Of course, we all fall prey to the notion that there aren't
enough hours to accomplish what we need to do. If we
encourage our students and their families to log their daily and
weekly schedules, they will likely identify some time-stealing
culprits and porentially find a few more minutes in which
important work can be accomplished. Time is not the true
issue, however. When any of us are truly motivated (either
extrinsically by threat of a looming recital) or intrinsically
(because there is a piece of music that we really want to learn),
we somehow make time to practice. So, practicing has to be
a priority. Additionally, students need to know that they can
accomplish their goals during their allotted practice time
and rehearsal time should not feel like drudgery.
When considering how to put practice higher on rhe
priority list, enlisting family support and assessing the
home practice environment are critical. During a February
2013 feature on NPR's All Things Considered where
family mealtime was the topic, it was revealed that in one
representative family the children ate separately from their
parents. Two of the three children left the dinner table after
just seven minutes, lured away from their veggies to play
with an iPod and a Nintendo game in another room (where
dad was watching television and checking Facebook on his
phone).'' While the purpose of the story was to explore the
nutritional benefits of family dinner, I was struck by how
few minutes the children spent at the table and how they
were distracted by technology in another room. This is
the same issue that children face when they are expected
to practice on their own at home; the games and activities
in the next room are more exciting than the musical
instrument. Technology may not only be changing family
dynamics and time usage, but shorter cycles of attention,
with lack of focus on one thing at a time, conflict with our
expectations of appropriate student practice.
Changes We Can Make
Children will be disrracred or not engaged in practice if
the piano is located either in the midst of other stimulating
activities or if the instrument is in an isolated piano
location (while there are fun technology-enhanced pursuits
occurring in another room). Pracricing is a lonely activity,
especially in today's ever plugged-in social world. Teachers
must help families ensure that while practice is occurring,
others in the home are engaged in similar thoughtful
enrichment pursuits. Practicing should not feel like doing
penance. Creating a home environment conducive to
effective practice will look different for each family, but
it is worth exploring. The child will come to appreciate
what the parents and the teacher value if this is fostered,
consistently, over time.
Another crucial global change teachers can address is
goal setting. Current method books, while pedagogically
more appropriate than their older counterparts, suggest
that typical students may not be able to accomplish as
much in one semester as they did 20 years ago. Progression
can only be made when a student has mastered skills at
her current level. Because it takes time to consolidate new
learning, and since transferring skills through exposure to
varied repertoire at a similar level prepares students for
the technical and musical demands of harder pieces, the
challenge for teachers is to keep students engaged in the
music-making process so they will have the tools to make
music for the rest of their lives. Setting appropriate goals
is critical to engaging students. Students must have small,
but manageable, practice objectives with deadlines. Success,
if experienced at regular intervals throughout the learning
process, is motivational. Good goals and objectives are
specific and measurable. Ultimately, the student will help to
identify weekly practice objectives.
Although there are no shortcuts in music practice,
focusing on smaller musical objectives will translate to
more efficient practice and quicker overall progress.
For example, when playing video games, each task is
appropriately challenging for the level but small enough for
success, though not always on the first try. Each failure is
small enough to be tolerated because in the grand scheme
of the game it does not set the child back too far as they
move toward the ultimate goal. During video game play,
children can always monitor progress toward the goal,
and they know what needs to be done to reach that goal.'
As teachers, we should create what music educator Jos
Antonio Bowen calls high standards" but "low stakes"
objectives, where students can assess their progress and
try again if they are not successful the first time."^ Ken
Bain insists that the best learning occurs when failure is
experienced and tolerated.' Professional musicians accept
this premise, but children and their parents may not.
Today's children have an opportunity to learn about the
benefits of low-stakes failure as they study music. If the
objective is small enough, they will experience success and
be motivated to achieve the next practice objective. Success
is motivating," and research has shown that if motivated
to learn a piece of music students will expend a reasonable
amount of effort to achieve success.'
Teachers must structure lessons and outline practice
activities for students, so they will experience successful
AMERICAN MUSIC TEACHER
13
learning. Teaching our students how to practice is arguably
our most important task.'" Teaching deliberate practice
includes guiding young musicians on how much to work
on, what to listen for, how to assess, how to adapt strategies
to fix problems and how to incorporate these small practice
chunks back into the whole.
Suggestions For Modeling Practice
Assuming that appropriate repertoire, for which the
student has been technically and musically prepared,
has been chosen, how might teachers encourage active
engagement throughout the learning process? While the
rehearsal steps outlined below may appear to be overly
didactic, students benefit from clear practice procedures
and specific objectives." During a lesson where Theodore
Oesten's Op. 61, No. 1 Merry Springtime (Figure 1) is
introduced the teacher and student might explore the
following steps:
Study form of piece and have student label phrases
Identify and block left-hand chords
Practice cadences of A and Al phrases (blocking left
hand first)
Block left hand and play right-hand melody
Practice B phrase (show students why this a priority;
since each time the piece is played from beginning to
end the A phrase will be played three times as much as
the B phrase)
Play left hand as written
Add left hand and play right hand as written (cadences
of A phraseto differentiate between each one)
egali

Figure 1: Theodore Oesten's Merry Springtime, Op. 61, No. 1 (music in

public domain).
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For each of the above steps, the student and teacher
would listen and evaluate whether enough mastery
was achieved in order to move on to the next task.
While assignment pages will differ, an effective practice
assignment (Figure 2) will contain specific steps and cues
that require students to evaluate their performance. Being
able to place check marks next to steps that have been
accomplished reinforces progress and is motivational for
many students. Teachers can easily prepare, save and
print similar assignment sheets for specific pieces they
will be teaching regularly. As students get older, having
them write their own practice steps on blank assignment
templates encourages engagement in the learning process.
While it may take a little extra time during the lesson, with
consistent practice students become adept at completing
pages quickly, they remember better what they should do at
home, and they take ownership of the practice process.
'Piano 'Practice 'siinmeut
Date: _3 October 2013_
Ilepertoire:
Merry Springtime
-d_ay_l_-_ block LH chords (isolate
problem shifts - do with
add RH with blocked LH (m. 1-4)
-add RH with blocked LH (m 7-B)
-ropeatform. 15-16
-practice phrase A & Al
-add RH with blocked chords B
phrase
day 2 & 3 - practice B phrase 1st
- play RH legato &LH light &
staccato {listen for balance - does
RH melody pro|ect above the LH?)
-are you observing all dynamic
signs?
'Kofi(cr - Waftz Op. J4g. -1^0.24
review - list practice steps below

ltudes:
Czcmif - Op. tS2?, '^fo. Q
- RH f & legato; LH p and staccato
- RH as written; shadow LH
- play as written - how was the
balance?
transpose to G Major!
'EnUey. Technical Skills 1 , p.9
Qoing '^muci'-f/'^mnd
- choose 3 metronome markings
(slow; moderate & fast) - write
these here & practice
are your hands perfectly together?
-transpose to G and F Major
Monday
/
/
ni ni =46
CM
Tuesday
/
/
m[n=6 9
CM
GM
Wednesday
/
/
Thursday
/
/
/
mm=92
CM
mm=46
FM
Friday
/
Tried
in F
C&F
Saturday
/
/
G&F
Figure 2: Practice assignment for Merry Springtime with some student
notations.
APRIL/MAY 2014
Synergy And Sequencing Of Repertoire
Ample preparation for, and reinforcement of, new
concepts will help students to experience success.
Appropriate sequencing of repertoire will ensure students
are prepared for the technical and musical challenges of new
music. However, the synergy created by the exploration
of concepts and techniques through learning a sufficient
quantity of repertoire and technical exercises is critical
in priming students for deep learning and transfer of
new skills.'^ Teachers must be cognizant of technical and
musical demands of upcoming repertoire to adequately
prepare students for success. While not a definitive or
comprehensive list, other music that the student might be
studying in conjunction with Merry Springtime is noted in
Figure 3.
Compositions
thai Prepare for
Op. 61, No. 1
Kohler -
Melodic Tune
Op. 218, No. 20
Kohler - Waltz
Op. 249, No. 24
Czerny - Etude
Op. 823, No. 9
Technique:
Magrath
Technical Skills
1-2 [Going
'Round and
'Round p. 9]
Compositions
that Retnfoi ce
Concepts in
Op. 61, No. 1
Czerny *-
Village Dance
Op. 777, No. 8
Subsequent
Compositions
that Build Upon
Op. 61, No.
Czerny -
The Swing
Op. 777, No. 5
DiabelU -
Waltz in C
Mai or
Technical & MifstcaJ Skf!Is Required
-b^liiiicL' between hands
-LH primary broken chord acaiiiipaiiimeiit
-shaping phrases
-subtle RH shifts
-balance between hands
-LH accompaniment quicker harmonic changes
-hand shifts/band expansion faster
-CMajor
-similar to Kobler Op. 218
-triplet feel
-reinforce chords
-develop automaticity with cbord progression
-simiiar skiiis but more ictive melody & quicker
chord changes
-6/8 time
-6/8 time
'longer
-some RH thirds
-balance trickier (some LH block chords]
-3/4 time
RH extended
-more subtle phrasing
Additional Details of Note
-really in key nt"G Mnjor
-fed i bent per measurt;
-RH rhythm harder
-transpose to G Major
-transpose to many keys
{especialiy G & P]
-experiment with hand
balance; dynamic contrasts;
various articulations
-similar skills, now in key of
G Major
-begin after Op. 61, No.

-must feel in 1
Figure 3: Synergy and sequencing chart for Oesten's Merry Springtime,
Op. 61, No. 1.
Practicing Is Problem SolvingSample Strategies
And The Practice Toolkit
The ability to problem solve is a skill valued by educators
and employers." However, not all 21st-centry academic
pursuits prepare young students to discover solutions on
their own. Practicing is problem solving, but our students
may not be accustomed to finding creative answers to
practice issues. If we equip our students for the 167.5 hours
when we will not be present, they will be much more likely
to explore creative practice solutions and persist when
learning becomes challenging during the week. Helping
students learn how to perform "musical triage" during the
beginning stages of learning a new composition, where
they diagnose and prioritize the most important problems
to fix first, is an essential skill that will help students feel
less overwhelmed. Although we may need to introduce
novelty from time to time, having practice routines for each
student's personal practice can really help young musicians
organize their practice time.
Nancy O'Neill Breth has published a series of
comprehensive practice tips for students, parents and
teachers.''' Many teachers have created their own practice
tip sheets, where a certain set of games or practice strategies
are systematically employed during the course of a semester
or year. (See Figure 4 for a sample practice strategy toolkit.)
In my studio, the "three dots game" is a popular item in
the practice toolkit. This is a game that Breth cleverly calls
"Button Up."' ' In my studio we move 3.5-inch rubber
"musical dot spots" (which can be easily manipulated by
even the youngest student) from left to right on the piano
once an isolated passage has been performed correctly.
The game becomes more engaging when students have to
move dots back to the left side each time a performance
does not meet our agreed upon standard. With the goal of
moving (and keeping) only three dots to the right side of
the piano, the stakes aren't too high if the student makes
a mistake. However, the goal of the game is doable if the
practice segment and objective is appropriate. This game
helps students recognize whether or not their objective
was reasonable, and it provides irrefutable evidence about
frequency and consistency of accurate performance.
AMERICAN MUSIC TEACHER
15
Piano Practice Toolkit:
(Keep On Ptano During Practice!}
Musical Triage
"X" Marks the Spot
o Pencil an "X" over 3 worst spots on score
o Erase each "X" once you've won 3 dots game
3 dots game
o remember to move dot back if you make a mistake!!!
Post-it!
Rhythms
o Long-short
o Short-long
o Long-quick-quick-quick
o Make up your own variations!
Shadow play
o Play RH; Shadow LH
o Play LH; Shadow RH
o Shadow individual voices!
Articulation Station
o Melody mf& iegato: accompaniment p& staccato
o Play melody; shadow accompaniment
o Make up your own variations!
SIght-Reading lumble
Track Your Progress
o Note measures or metronome marking you learned today
c Track progress on your assignment page
Piano Star!
o Record your piece
o Listen to/watch recording with score
o Are you ready to go on tour?
o Post it to our Dropbox account - I'd love hear it before your lesson!
You Be the |udge!
Figure 4: Sample Piano Practice Toolkit.
Pre-college instrumental music students who participated
in a large longitudinal practice study reported that, more
often than not, practicing consisted of simply playing a
piece from beginning to end." Since the prefrontal cortex
(the part of the brain responsible for decision making and
impulse control) is nor fully developed until humans reach
their 20s, it is no wonder students often find it difficult
to actually stop and isolate small enough sections during
practice. Since the capacity of working memory is limited,
isolating small practice chunks when reading new music is
critical." Sticky notes (strategically placed on either side of
the section to be isolated and rehearsed) compel students
to focus on the practice spot. Other rehearsal techniques
for working on balance (such as playing the melody strong
and legato while shadowing or playing inner voices soft and
staccato) or using rhythm practice to develop evenness of
sixteenth notes can be expressed in shorthand for students
and categorized on the toolkit sheet that each student keeps
on the piano while practicing. Teachers might consider
creating their own toolkit of practice resources that work
for their individual personality, teaching persona, and with
the particular students that they teach. As students change,
so might the practice toolkit.
Pedagogy In ActionA Sample Practice
Assignment
Let's explore a piece in which ir is tempting for students
to play through from beginning to end until it is learned:
the Bach Little Prelude in CMinor, BWV999. Encouraging
a student to set precise practice objectives and employ
specific practice strategies during the introductory lesson
should improve learning during the first week of practice.
See Figure 5 for how the score and practice assignment
might look. Remember, encouraging students to mark their
own score and decide upon the practice steps (choosing
from the toolkit tip sheet) will foster more student
engagement and clear the path for increased morivation and
learning.
Day 1-3 Practice
Identify & Label Chords
Block Hands Together (HT) m.l-
6 [remember to stop on down
beat of meas. 7)
-try w/ metronome
Post-it Practice & Loop until no
hesitation - . m. 2- 3
- m. 4-5
- m. 6-7
Post-it & Loop
- m. 4-5
-m. 6-7
With metronome play m. 1-6 as
written
- play 3 times in a row correctly
- note your mm tempo daily
Practice rhythms
- long-short
- short-long
-other? tnotate your rhythms)
Practice mp & staccato
Day 4-6 Practice:
Repeat 6 steps above for mm. 7-
12 (write steps In & check off)
Mon. Tues.
]
Wed. Thurs. Fri. SaL
Figure 5: Practice Chart and Annotated Score for Bach Little Prelude in C
Minor.
16
APRIL/MAY 2014
Coming Full Circle
At the outset of this article, we explored not only the
motivational dilemma that our 21st-century students face,
but also the very real issue of limited practice time. If
students understand and experience success (due to setting
reasonable practice objectives and by rehearsing creatively
and consistently), they may begin to recognize, value and
practice efficiently. We must help our students appreciate
the value (and motivational power) of intelligent rehearsal.
As long as the learning task is appropriate for the amount
of time the student will spend practicing, success is possible.
Short, deliberate practice sessions, undertaken consistently
each week, will add up to a substantial amount of rehearsal
time each year. But, without consistency, no matter how
appropriately leveled the material is, complex motor skills
and new learning will decay.
If teachers can find creative approaches each student can
replicate at home, with family support, the 21st-centry
plugged-in, over-stimulated student can learn to enjoy the
less-than-instantaneous but stimulating process of music
practice. With each small success, intrinsic motivation will
increase, and our students can learn to take responsibility
for their own problem solving during rehearsal. Learning
how to practice effectively can help a student to develop
skills that will be required in other aspects of life. Ideally,
with help and encouragement, our students will learn how
to cultivate curiosity, problem solve, think critically, work
independently and persist in achieving goals. These are
crucial life skills our children in the United States may not
be developing early enough in their lives. If this is the case,
what we do in the music studio truly is significant and we
owe it to our students to encourage and empower them
while we maintain high musical and learning standards. ^
Notes
1. Nancy H. Barry and Victoria McArthur, "Teaching
Strategies in the Music Studio: A Survey of Applied Music
Teachers," Psychology of Music 22, no. 1, (1994): 44-35.
2. See, for example, a discussion with Jeff Brenzel,
Undergraduate Admissions at Yale University at the
College Board web site https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/
get-started/outside-the-classroom/extracurriculars-matter-
to-you-and-to-coUeges/ or K. Nola Mokeyane, "The
Disadvantages of Not Being Involved in Extracurricular
Activities in High School," G/o^is:/Po^i http://everydaylife.
globalpost.com/disadvantages-not-being-involved-
extracurricular-activities-high-school-10804.html/.
3. Nathan Joo and Evan Chrisinger, "Resume Padding,"
The Puma Press: University Prep's Student Newspaper http://
everydaylife.globalpost.com/disadvantages-not-being-
involved-extracurricular-activities-high-school-10804.html/.
4. Listen to and read the full story at http://www.npr.
org/blogs/thesalt/2013/02/26/172897660/family-dinner-
treasured-tradition-or-bygone-ideal/.
5. For an interesting discussion of what teachers can learn
from video game experience points, goals, feedback and
rewards see Andrea McAlister, "For the Love of the Game,"
American Music Teacher dl, no. 5 (2013), 28-31.
6. Jos Antonio Bowen, Teaching Naked: How Moving
Technology out of Your College Classroom Will Improve
Student Learning (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2012).
7. Ken Bain, What the Best College Teachers Do
(Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, 2004).
8. Pamela D. Pike, "Maintaining Student Motivation
on the Journey Toward Musical Mastery," American Music
Teacher 6\, no. 1 (2011): 20-24.
9. J.M. Renwick and Gary E. McPherson, "Interest
and Choice: Student-selected repertoire and its Effect on
Practicing Behavior," British Journal of Music Education 19,
no. 2 (2002), 173-188.
10. Nancy H. Barry and Susan Hallum, "Practice,"
in The Science & Psychology of Musical Performance ed.
Richard Parncutt and Gary E. McPherson (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2002): 160.
11. Nancy H. Barry, "The Effect of Different Practice
Techniques Upon Technical Accuracy and Musicality
in Student Instrumental Music Performance," Research
Perspectives in Music Education 1: 4-8.
12. Pike, Maintaining Motivation: 23.
13. Association of American Colleges and Universities
Press Release, Employers More Interested in Critical Thinking
and Problem Solving Than in College Major (April 10,
2013), downloaded from http://www.aacu.org/press_room/
press_releases/2013/leapcompactandemployersurvey.cfm/.
14. Nancy O'Neill Breth, The Piano Student's Cuide to
Effective Practicing (Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corporation,
2004), The Parent's Cuide to Effective Practicing
(Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corporation, 2007), and
Practicing the Piano: How Students, Parents, and Teachers
Can Make Practicing More Effective (Milwaukee: Hal
Leonard Corporation, 2012).
15. Breth, The Student's Cuide, unnumbered p. 1.
16. Stephanie Pitts, Jane Davidson and Gary McPherson,
"Developing Effective Practise Strategies: Case Studies of
Three Young Instrumentalists," Music Education Research 1,
no. 1 (2000): 45-56.
17. Pamela D. Pike, "Sight Reading Strategies for the
Beginning and Intermediate Pianist: A Fresh Look at a
Familiar Topic," American Music Teacher 61, no. 4 (2012):
23-28.
AMT
AMERICAN MUSIC TEACHER
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